Zephaniah 3:5

Zephaniah 3:5 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)The just Lord is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame.
• New International Version (NIV)The Lord within her is righteous; he does no wrong. Morning by morning he dispenses his justice, and every new day he does not fail, yet the unrighteous know no shame.
• English Standard Version (ESV)The Lord within her is righteous; he does no injustice; every morning he shows forth his justice; each dawn he does not fail; but the unjust knows no shame.
• New King James Version (NKJV)The Lord is righteous in her midst, He will do no unrighteousness. Every morning He brings His justice to light; He never fails, But the unjust knows no shame.

Context of Zephaniah 3:5

3The rulers of the city make a very loud noise with their voices like big wild animals. Its judges are like hungry wolves. They are like wolves that have even eaten all an animal's bones before morning. 4Its prophets do not know what to think. People cannot trust them. Its priests have done wrong things, even in God's holy house. They have also made changes to God's rules. They have made changes that they want. But the Lord is among all the people in the city. He will do what is right. He is always the honest judge. He never fails. But the bad people do not know how to be ashamed. 6‘I have destroyed nations,’ the Lord says. ‘There is nobody in their strong towers now. I have made their streets empty, so no people are there. I have destroyed their cities. So nobody lives in them now. 7I said, “Now people in the city will respect me! Now they will agree when people warn them.” The people would have been safe if they had accepted it. Then I would not have to destroy them. But it did not happen. I had to punish them. Still, the people got up early to do bad things.

Zephaniah 3:5 word by word

יְהוָ֤ה צַדִּיק֙ בְּקִרְבָּ֔הּ לֹ֥א יַעֲשֶׂ֖ה עַוְלָ֑ה בַּבֹּ֨קֶר בַּבֹּ֜קֶר מִשְׁפָּט֨וֹ יִתֵּ֤ן לָאוֹר֙ לֹ֣א נֶעְדָּ֔ר וְלֹֽא־יוֹדֵ֥עַ עַוָּ֖ל בֹּֽשֶׁת׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• The justצַדִּיקtsaddîyq · righteousH6662
• Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• in the midstקֶ֫רֶבqereb · entrails: amongH7130
• thereof; he will not doעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
• iniquityעַוְלָה‛evel ‛âvel ‛avlâh ‛ôlâh ‛ôlâh · injusticeH5766
• everyבֹּ֫קֶרbôqer · morningH1242
• doth he bringנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
• his judgmentמִשְׁפָּטmishpâţ · justiceH4941
• to lightאוֹר'ôr · lightH216
• he failethעָדַר‛âdar · to lackH5737
• not; but the unjustעַוָּל‛avvâl · unjustH5767
• knowethיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
• no shameבֹּ֫שֶׁתbôsheth · shameH1322

Cross-references for Zephaniah 3:5

• Deuteronomy 32:4He is the strong Rock where we can be safe. Everything that he does is perfect. He only does what is right and fair. We can trust him to be faithful.
• Psalms 99:3So they should all praise your great name. It is a name that brings fear! The Lord is holy!
• Psalms 145:17So the Lord is fair in all that he does. He always shows how much he loves us.
• Ecclesiastes 3:16I saw something else that happens on the earth. Judges should choose what is right, but instead they choose what is wicked. They should decide what is fair, but they do evil things.
• Isaiah 45:21Now decide together what you will say in court! Tell me what you think! Who said a long time ago what would happen? Who spoke about it long before it happened? It was I, the Lord! There is nobody else like me. There is no other God, except me. I am a righteous God and I save my people. There is no other God.
• Habakkuk 1:3You cause me to see many things that are not right. You do not punish people who are doing wrong things. Why do you let that happen? People do cruel things and there is violence everywhere. They argue and they fight and they quarrel.
• Zechariah 9:9Sing loudly, people in Zion. Shout, people in Jerusalem. Look! Your king comes to you. He will save you because he does everything well. But he is quiet and he is riding on a donkey. He will ride on a young animal. Its mother is a donkey.
• Romans 3:26He did this to show us today that he is completely right and fair. He accepts people as right with himself if they believe in Jesus.
• 1 Peter 1:17God knows what each person has done, and he judges each one for those things. He is always fair when he decides about people. He is never kinder to one person than he is to another person. When you pray to God, you call him ‘Father’. So then, always respect him, while you live as strangers here in the world.
• Zephaniah 3:15The Lord has not punished you as he would have done. He has sent your enemy away. I, the King of Israel, am with you! The bad times have gone. They will not happen again!
• Deuteronomy 23:14For the Lord your God moves among you in your camp. He keeps you safe from your enemies so that you win against them. So make sure that your camp is a holy place. The Lord must not see anything that would bring shame on you. Do not make him turn away from you.
• Isaiah 12:6Everyone who lives in Zion, shout aloud and sing with joy! The Holy God of Israel is great, and he lives among you.’
• Ezekiel 48:35So the walls all around the city will measure 9,000 metres. From that time on, the name of the city will be, “The Lord is there.” ’
• Micah 3:11You are the city's rulers, but you accept bribes. Then you do not judge people in a fair way. You priests teach people only if they pay you. You prophets speak about what will happen in future times. But you only speak if you receive money. But you still say that you trust the Lord. You say, ‘The Lord is with us, so nothing bad will happen to us.’
• Zechariah 2:5The Lord himself promises that he will be like a wall of fire round Jerusalem. He will shine as a beautiful light inside the city.’
• Genesis 18:25Will you kill them all, the good people and the bad people? Surely you would not do anything like that! You would not punish good people in the same way as bad people. You are the great judge of everyone on the earth. You will surely do what is right!’

Commentaries on Zephaniah 3:5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5The just Lord is in the midst thereof - He sees, marks down, and will punish all these wickednesses. Every morning doth he bring his judgment to light - The sense is, says Bp. Newcome, "Not a day passes but we see instances of his goodness to righteous men, and of his vengeance on the wicked."Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5But, beside these “evening wolves in the midst of her,” there standeth Another “in the midst of her,” whom they knew not, and so, very near to them although they would not draw near to Him. But He was near, to behold all the iniquities which they did in the very city and place called by His Name and in His very presence; He was in her to protect, foster her with a father‘s love, but she, presuming on His mercy, had cast it off. And so He was near to…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5He does nothing wrong, unlike those mentioned in Zephaniah 3:3–4.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 5-75-7. The Jews regard not God's justice manifested in the midst of them, nor His judgments on the guilty nations around. The just Lord--Why then are ye so unjust? is in the midst thereof--He retorts on them their own boast, "Is not the Lord among us" (Mi 3:11)? True He is, but it is for another end from what ye think [Calvin]; namely, to lead you by the example of His righteousness to be righteous. Le 19:2, "Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am…Read the comment

Topics related to Zephaniah 3:5

• God Continued...
• Injustice
• Shame
• Wicked (People)

In the dictionaries

• Pride
• Zephaniah, Book of

Commentaries on Zephaniah 3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings